kids encyclopedia robot

Collier County, Florida facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Collier County
The Collier County courthouse in April 2010
The Collier County courthouse in April 2010
Flag of Collier County
Flag
Official seal of Collier County
Seal
Official logo of Collier County
Logo
Map of Florida highlighting Collier County
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Map of the United States highlighting Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Florida
Founded May 8, 1923
Named for Barron Collier
Seat East Naples
Largest city Naples
Area
 • Total 2,305 sq mi (5,970 km2)
 • Land 1,998 sq mi (5,170 km2)
 • Water 307 sq mi (800 km2)  13.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 375,752 Increase
 • Density 188/sq mi (73/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 18th, 19th, 26th
Collier government center
Collier County's main administration building (left) and the back of the county courthouse (right).

Collier County is a county located in the sunny state of Florida. It's in the U.S. state of Florida. In 2020, about 375,752 people lived here. That's a lot more people than in 2010!

The main office for the county, called the county seat, is in East Naples. Before 1962, the county offices were in Everglades City.

History of Collier County

Early Settlers and Native Americans

Long ago, more than 2000 years ago, people lived in the area that is now Collier County. We know this from archaeological digs at Platt Island. When Europeans first arrived, the Calusa people lived here. They had a large and important presence in the area.

Ted Smallwood Store on Chokoloskee Island
The historic Ted Smallwood Store on Chokoloskee Island.

How Collier County Was Formed

Collier County was officially created in 1923. It was formed from a part of Lee County. The county got its name from Barron Collier. He was a rich businessman from New York City.

Barron Collier bought a lot of land in Southwest Florida. He became a very important landowner. He even agreed to help build a famous road called the Tamiami Trail. This road connects Tampa and Miami. In return, the state government agreed to name a county after him.

Barron Collier once said he never expected to own so much land. He also didn't expect to pay for the new Tamiami Trail. But most of all, he didn't expect to have a whole county named after him!

Geography of Collier County

Size and Location

Collier County is a very large county. It covers about 2,305 square miles. About 307 square miles of this area is water. It's the biggest county in Florida when you look at just the land area. It's also the fourth-largest county overall in Florida.

A big part of the county, especially in the southeast, is within the Big Cypress National Preserve. Also, the northern part of Everglades National Park reaches into the southern coast of the county. The town of Chokoloskee, Florida is also in Collier County.

To give you an idea of its size, Collier County is almost one and a half times bigger than the state of Rhode Island! It's even bigger than Rhode Island and the country of Luxembourg put together.

Neighboring Counties

Collier County is located on Florida's Gulf Coast. It shares borders with these other counties:

Protected Natural Areas

Collier County is home to several important natural areas that are protected:

Transportation in Collier County

Airports

Collier County has several airports, which are important for travel and local services:

  • Everglades Airpark
  • Immokalee Airport
  • Marco Island Airport
  • Naples Municipal Airport
  • Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (mostly unused)

Main Roads

These are the major highways that run through Collier County:

  • I-75.svg Interstate 75
  • US 41.svg U.S. Route 41
  • Florida 29.svg State Road 29
  • Florida 84.svg State Road 84
  • Florida 951.svg State Road 951

Population and People

Historical population
Census Pop.
1930 2,883
1940 5,102 77.0%
1950 6,488 27.2%
1960 15,753 142.8%
1970 38,040 141.5%
1980 85,971 126.0%
1990 152,099 76.9%
2000 251,377 65.3%
2010 321,520 27.9%
2020 375,752 16.9%
2023 (est.) 404,310 25.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2015 2020

Population Growth and Diversity

Collier County has been growing a lot! Between 2000 and 2010, the population grew by almost 28%. The county is also becoming more diverse, meaning people from many different backgrounds live there.

In 2010, about 83.85% of the people were non-Hispanic White. About 25.9% were Latino or Hispanic. About 6.6% were African American, and 1.1% were Asian. The biggest reason for the population growth since 2000 was the increase in the Latino or Hispanic population.

2020 Census Information

Collier County Racial Makeup
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White (NH) 211,156 235,455 65.67% 62.66%
Black or African American (NH) 19,898 22,554 6.19% 6.0%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 609 551 0.19% 0.15%
Asian (NH) 3,390 5,419 1.05% 1.44%
Some other race (NH) 431 1,502 0.15% 0.42%
Mixed/multiracial (NH) 2,787 7,961 0.87% 2.12%
Hispanic or Latino 83,177 102,249 25.87% 27.21%
Total 321,520 375,752

In 2020, there were 375,752 people living in Collier County. These people lived in 140,578 households, and 97,279 of those were families.

Education and Libraries

Schools

The public schools in Collier County are managed by the District School Board of Collier County. They make sure students have good places to learn.

Public Libraries

The Collier County Public Library system has 10 different locations. These libraries serve everyone in the county. All locations offer computers with internet, printing, copying, and free Wi-Fi. You can also return books and videos any time of day or night using their drop boxes.

Communities in Collier County

Cities in Collier County

Other Communities (Census-Designated Places)

Other Unincorporated Communities

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Collier para niños

kids search engine
Collier County, Florida Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.